An environmental leader who made an impact at the Environmental Protection Agency and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) passed away in a car crash last week.
Lisa Feldt held the position of CBF Vice President for Environmental Protection and Restoration until just recently. The Bay Foundation posted in a tweet on Friday:
Last night, we learned the CBF family has unexpectedly lost a valued colleague and friend, Lisa Feldt, in a traffic accident. Lisa was deeply committed to the environment and the Bay. She will be missed. We are keeping her and her family in our thoughts during this difficult time.
Feldt was named VP in July 2018, and CBF President Will Baker said at the time: “Ms. Feldt’s broad experience, with local and federal government agencies, as well as in the private sector, makes her an ideal choice to lead CBF’s policy, grassroots, and restoration programs.”
Feldt had previously spent 30 years in leadership of environmental issues, including as Acting Deputy Administrator at the federal EPA and as Director of the Department of Environmental Protection for Montgomery County, Maryland.
When she joined CBF, Feldt said, “The Chesapeake Bay is near and dear to my heart…Working together with governments at the local, state, and federal level, as well as citizens and partner organizations, we can reduce pollution and leave a legacy of clean water to our children and future generations.”
CBM Editor-at-Large John Page Williams, a former colleague of Feldt’s at CBF, tells us, “I had the honor of taking her out on the Severn aboard First Light to explore the restoration oyster reefs there. Her engineering background added a new dimension to our Environmental Protection & Restoration Program. We all will miss her very much.”
The Maryland Department of the Environment is also mourning the loss of Feldt. Secretary Ben Grumbles tweeted, “I’m saddened by losing a friend and a champion of the environment.”
-Meg Walburn Viviano
